Spenser Fleming--Place Participation

At first glance reading that the place participates seemed odd, as a place has no language, no movement, and no brain for that matter. However, place does have a language and place does move...it does not have a brain though. Anyhow, communication comes in many ways. I did not fully understand this until the Noland trail hike lesson about talking to trees. A place can tell you what it needs, how old it is, what has happened there as long as one actually pays attention. A sacred place cannot be sacred without place. The place is not only a marker for a sacred location but adds to the story of the place. A pile of rocks for example is simply a pile of rocks, but if you were to say a pile of rocks sitting in the middle of a lake, well then a persons attention is caught and they will probably investigate.